Improvement in machines tor breaking hemp



L. W. COLVER.

Hemp Brake.

Patented March 29. 1853.

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stares PATENT truce.

LEXVIS Tr. COLVEIZ,

OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 9,632, dated March 29, 1853.

To all whom it may concern- Be it known that I, LEWIS \V. GOLVER, of

, Louisville, in the county of J efferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Breaking Hemp, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the and Fig. 3 represents an end view.

Similar letters in the several figures denote the same parts.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination of the oscillating beater and bars aboveand below it hung upon springs, so that the recoil of the springs after the beater passes the bars shall shake out the hemp and clear it of its woody fiber.

To enable others skilled in the art to make .and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

The machine herein represented is intended to be driven by horse, steam, water, or any other power. The frame is constructed in any well-known substantial manner, and on the lower longitudinal timbers, A, thereof, in suitable bearings, I place a shaft, a, upon which a bandpulley maybe placed for driving the ma chine. On the shaft a is placed a spur-gear, B, which meshes with and operates a cogwheel, 0, on the shaft 1), which also has its bearings or journal-boxes on the same longitudinal timber A with the shaft a. The cogwheel 0 works into a spur-wheel, D, on the shaft 0, which is supported on the longitudinal timbers E of the frame. On each end of the shaft 0, outside of the frame, are placed the crank-wheels FF, each being provided with wrist-pins,and to the wrist-pin ofone of which, F, is connected the pitman G, the other end of the pitman being attached by an iron strap to the crank H on the shaft (1, Fig. 2, so as to give to said shaft an oscillating motion. Four spring-bars, J J J J, are so arranged in the frame as that two shall be above and two be low the arc of the circle in which the heaters e 0 move. Behind each of the bars is arranged a semi-elliptic spring, f, which yields to the force of the blows of the heaters upon the hemp resting against them, and after the beat ers pass the recoil of the spring shakes out the hemp and clears it of its woody portions. The machine herein represeilted is intended for a double one, which may be fed and operated from both ends, but they may be made single. The pitman K, which is attached to the crank-wheel F, extends in a contrary direction from that of the pitman G, and oscillates a shaft, 9, also provided with heaters; but as the various parts or pieces of this end of the machine are identical with those of the other end, which are fully represented, it is not deemed necessary to further show or describe them, as it would be a mere repetition.

The machine is furnished with a feedingtable, L, over which passes an endless apron,

h. upon which the hemp to be fed in is placed. The endless apron passes around the rollers M M, on the former of which is placed a handwheel, N, in convenient position for the operator, so as to feed in, hold, or drawback the hemp as may be required. Immediately over the roller M is placed the roller 0, which is hung in a frame, F P, said frame being raised and lowered by means of the foot-treadles Q Q, to which are respectively attached the levers R R for this purpose in a manner well known to mechanicians.

In the pillow-blocks S S on the top piece of the frame is supported a shaft, 6, upon which is arranged the beams T T, carrying on their extreme ends the breaker-bar U. These beams receive a vibratory motion by means of the 'pitman V, one end of which is .attached to a crank-wheel, \V, on the end of the shaft a, and the other end to a crank, Z, on the shaft '5, which carries the beams. The design of this breaker U is to break down the material as it is fed in horizontally by the apron and rollers, thematerial at the breaking-point resting on the fixed bar X. This prepares it and gives it the proper direction for passing between the spring-bars J J J J where it is finished by the boaters c 6. By means of thefeedingrollers, hand-wheel, and treadles the operator has at all times perfect control over the hemp being operated upon, by either feeding it, holding it firmly while being operated on, or running it back so as to change it end for end, or for taking it out when finished.

Y is an inclined board for carrying off the extraneous matter separated from the hemp.

The feeding-table may behinged to the frame The combination of the oscillating heaters and have snpporting-rodskk,to holdit up when 0 0 and the springbars J J .T J, placed above in use and when itis to be removed from place and below said heaters, so that the recoil of the to place maybe let down, taken oil, or, in bad springs after the beater leaves the bars shall weather, used as a cover for the rollers, &c., shake out the hemp and clear it of its woody when in the field. portions, substantially as described.

on is a guide or ga e board to prevent the materia] from beingdafn too far into the machine. E

Having thus fully described my invention, \Vitnesses:

what I claim therein as new, and desire to se- A. B. STOUGHFON,

cure by Letters Patent, is T. G. DONN. 

